Pixel Magazine - 17th August 2012

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The Donnerstag, magazine that understands the world of imaging, past, present and future 10. Mai 2012 14:09:04

News Google and Apple Amongst Bidders for Kodak Patents?

Kodak is to auction 1,100 of its digital patents in order to repay its creditors.

It’s thought that the auctioning of these patents could raise up to $2.6 billion for the bankrupt US company.

According to inside sources, Kodak has already received two bids frrom investor groups which are thought to include Apple and Google. The bids received so far are rumoured to total between $150m and $250m, but in auctions of this variety, bids often accelerate sharply towards the end of the bidding period.

Kodak’s spokespeople are currently declining to comment on reports appearing in papers such as the Wall Street journal, stating that commenbting on the auction process before it is over is ‘inappropriate”. www.kodak.com

Fujifilm Dispells X100 Replacement Rumours Fujifilm has denied any plans to discontinue the FinePix X100 in the UK. US dealers have reported that the camera is no longer available to purchase as it is not being produced anymore.

Fujifilm’s UK arm have told the press that the camera is still in production and available for sale.

However, speculation still abounds that Fujifilm may be announcing a replacement model at photokina in September.

The X100 itself was unveiled at Photokina in 2010. www.fujifilm.co.uk

www.pixel.co.uk Freitag, 11. Mai 2012 18:05:58

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Canon Supports Trade Show Canon becomes top sponsor of the Retail Imaging Show

The 2012 Retail Imaging Show, which will take place on 12th October, is to be sponsored by Canon.

Held at Mercedes Benz World in Weybridge, the Retail Imaging Show the UK’s premier trade-only imaging event, where imaging retailers have the

opportunity to meet with the brands and suppliers that they do business with face to face, and to gain new ideas from the diverse line-up of suppliers, specially assembled by the Pixel and Retail Imaging Show team to offera diverse and innovative spread of products and services to imaging retailers.

This year, the show will offer visitors a chance to review releases annouced at photokina, which takes place just weeks prior to the Retail Imaging Show.

Canon’s sponsorship strengthens the show’s position and gives Canon’s branding a prominent presence at this industry event. www.canon.co.uk www.retailimagingshow.co.uk

Jessops Treatment for HMV? Struggling music chain employs former Jessops bosses.

Trevor Moore, the former CEO of Jessops, is to take on a new role at HMV. He follows David Adams, who left Jessops in February and was then announced as non-executive director of HMV in June.

In his three years at Jessops, Trevor Moore reformed the camera chain’s business, implemented a new management team, initiated a rebrand and has been credited with lifting sales and restoring the business to operational profit. When his resignation was announced, former non-executive chairman Martyn Everett stepped in as chief executive.

Having presided over the Jessops turnaround, HMV appears to be hoping Moore and Adams will be able to do the same for the music retailer, who have seen profits drop off a cliff in the face of online retail, music downloading and the general recession.

Commenters in financial publications are making much of the fact that both HMV and Jessops have previously been saved from the rumoured brink of

administration by debt-for-equity swapping with their shared creditor, HSBC. Jessops, meanwhile, continues to revamp its branches and has just opened a new Centre of Excellence in York. www.jessops.com

reacts quickly, misses nothing

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BEST IMAGING INNOVATION Sony SLT, Translucent Mirror Technology

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The Insider

Saying what you are thinking and asking the difficult questions. Each issue ‘The Insider’ reports back from the frontline of our industry.

I have been taking photographs digitally as an enthusiast since 2006 and since then I have never printed one image. There you have it, I admit my sin, but before you condemn me for being part of the digital revolution, which has helped bring down the photographic printing industry. Take a moment to hear my reasoning and the details of my recent epiphany.

I have never printed an image because I don’t frame pictures and I don’t put them into albums.

I therefore have no reason to print. My images remain on my computer and on various portable hard drives and DVD’s and I am happy for them to be there. That is until this month when a member of my family gave me a print from a recent family occasion, framed. The print was ok, it wasn’t great but it did the job and I was suitably impressed. I asked them where they had got it printed and they answered “Online”.

They gave me the details, an idea of the costs and a brief outline of the process required to upload and order. It all sounded very simple, so I decided to give it a go.

I plugged in a hard drive, found the site through Google, chose the print type and size I wanted, selected two images, uploaded them to the site and previewed what I was going to get. The cost was almost too reasonable, the process too easy, I was impressed yet again (I am not someone who is easily impressed it would be fair to say!)

I received an email to say that my order and been accepted, an email to say that my prints were being created and then an email to tell me that my prints had been dispatched, all three of which in my mind added up to an excellent

customer service and user experience.

When the prints arrived a couple of days later they were well packaged and protected and for the cost perfectly good. The black and white had an unfortunate colour cast but it was acceptable. I immediately went back online and ordered one of the images I had printed as a set of blank cards for possible future use. My cherry had been popped, I was no longer a digital printing virgin.

What was interesting to me about this change in my life is that my move into the online digital world was instigated by an old fashioned personal recommendation. The company’s marketing campaigns had not pulled me in but their recommended excellent personal service had. Now there is a message for us all trying to services to clients we are trying to appeal to: get the product right, maintain quality and deliver what you promise and the clients will come.

News Samsung President to deliver CES Address The Consumer Electronics Association has announced that Dr. Stephen Woo, President of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions, will deliver a keynote address at the 2013 International CES. Owned and produced

by CEA, the 2013 International CES, will be held January 8-11, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dr. Woo’s keynote address is scheduled to open day two of the 2013 CES at 9 am Wednesday, January 9, in The Venetian’s Palazzo Ballroom. Dr. Woo will present his insight on the role of components in enabling consumer product innovations.

Dr. Woo’s background in the electronics industry dates back to 1977. He spent more than 20 years in senior research and management positions at leading companies in the semiconductor industry, and worked as a research scientist focusing on areas of very large scale integration (VLSI) design, field programmable gate array (FPGA), computer architecture and parallel processing at Bell Laboratories. www.ces.com

Professional Networking for Photographers

Park Cameras Holds Imaging Festival Will retailers benefit from the suspension of Sunday Trading restrictions?

Rain didn’t stop visitors flockng to attend Park Cameras Imaging Festival on the 7th July. Eager buyers were queuing from as early as 6.55am.

Park Cameras, an independent photo specialist based in Burgess Hill, West Sussex hold their event annually where customers are treated to limited one day only deals across

FOCUS

cameras, camcorders, lenses, bags, binoculars, and lighting, plus free bite-size seminars.

Customers also travelled some distances to attend the special day. Kyle Tallett from Kent said: “It was an excellent day. Worth the 150 mile round trip to attend!”

As well as competitions, raffles and summer sports-themed fun, Park Cameras announced the winner of their school photography competition on the day. Local children could enter their best sport related photograph with the hope of winning a Nikon camera. Reg and Roscoe Atkins from Park Cameras and Mark Fury from Nikon presented the winners with their prizes.

Leah Flavell, Marketing Manager at Park Cameras remarked: “It was an extremely busy day and it was great to see customers come out and support their local photo retailer.” www.parkcameras.co.uk

The makers of Folioto.com, allnature.org and greatweddingphotographers.org have established Photography.am, a professional networking and small business advertising website that includes a community marketplace, forums, chat, unlimited photo galleries, and online portfolios for each member of the site.

“I’ve been working very hard to create this useful resource,” says Justin, founder of photography.am. “Photography.am is far more than just a spot to share work and ideas - this site was designed from the ground up to be a powerful tool for marketing your business or brand and expanding your online presence.” The vast majority of this functionality is absolutely FREE - the site is supported by advertising and voluntary Premium Membership subscriptions. www.Photography.am

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SPECIAL REPORT

Who are the Real Winners?

Amidst the excitement of medal wins and national pride, there are those who fear that the opportunitues for economic recovery promised by the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic Games will not materialise. Have the measures taken to protect the interests of the sponsors and the security of events limited the opportunities for the UK’s businesses, or will the Olympic spirit triumph over these initial hurdles? Pixel investigates.

Under heavy criticism, the Government defended bidding for the 2012 Olympics on the grounds that hosting the games would bring huge amounts of revenue to UK businesses.

With the money spent on London 2012 spiralling past ten times what was originally budgeted, increasing complaint is rallied that the only businesses making money from the London 2012 Games are the massive multi-national sponsors such as MacDonalds and Coca Cola.

Some London businesses who stocked up anticipating increased custom from the one million extra visitors expected to visit the city this summer were dismayed to find official advice warning people to avoid the city and its transport systems wherever possible whilst the Games are on, effectively stipulating that those who aren’t inside a stadium watching a sport should not be in London. Pictures circulating the internet of deserted commuter trains and drivers on the news exclaiming that they’ve never seen the roads so empty aren’t helping to reassure businesses that they will see the increased footfall they were assured of, and it remains to be seen whether London’s smaller independent retailers will see any notable benefit.

Countrywide, however, the Olympic Games spirit does seem to be having a marked effect on high streets. Many individual streets reported peaks of business following the processions and many consumers who should have been in the workplace were allowed to take an hour or two off as the relay passed through their town.

Furthermore, despite strict rules about how Olympic branding is allowed to be used by nonaffiliated companies – the short version of which is: it isn’t! – and the clear message that LOCOG will take action against those deemed to be in breach of their rules, Olympic references and promotions are cropping up in town centres.

Some are even finding that it’s not needed to reap the rewards of an association with the Olympic Games.

Wessex Photographic have a branch in Weymouth, where the Olympic sailing events took place at the beginning of the Games. Pixel spoke to manager Gemma Lewis.

Gemma, how has business been affected by the presence of the Olympic Games in Weymouth?

Trade has definitely increased, but I imagine it

will be short lived. It was very centric around the events which took place locally, and footfall increased for a few days around them, as did sales of relevant products.

Which products did you find people wanted during this time?

All the added sales were of binoculars and long lenses, telephotos et cetera. When you think about it, sailing is quite a hard event to watch even when it’s local. It’s so difficult to get a decent view that you’re better off sitting at home watching it on television, although the atmosphere here for those few days was really exciting.

Were there any additional sales of other product, or was there a lift in business overall?

Not really, sales were spontaneous purchases and were very limited to those products people who had come to watch the sailing suddenly realised they needed, so it was very specific to those ranges. That’s not to say we haven’t sold anything else during this time, but the spike in sales was exclusive to these products.

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SPECIAL REPORT Did you carry out any promotions to tie in with the presence of the Games in Weymouth?

No. We were going to do some promotions as we thought it would be a great opportunity for us, but it’s too hard to get around all the red tape. There are so many rules on what you are and aren’t allowed to do depending on who and where you are and what you’re doing, and we’re not a big enough company to dedicate time and effort to dealing with that, or to handle any legal problems if we were to misjudge it and get into trouble.

It’s a real shame as we had some great ideas for promotions, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

Fortunately, we ended up benefiting from extra business anyway, but I’m sure that’s not the case for all businesses. The problem is, having such strict rules means that retailers are just going to avoid promoting around the Olympics altogether, which may be the intention but if so, the boost to the economy that hosting the Games is supposed to provide may have been overestimated.

Fortunately for us, the products were in demand so there was no need for promotion or discounting to achieve the extra sales we did, which is a refreshing thing in today’s financial climate!

Have you seen any elevation in sales of brands with official Olympic association, such as Panasonic or Samsung?

I’ve not personally seen any particular lift.

We do sell a lot of Panasonic products anyway, but I don’t think there’s been any lift because of their Olympic sponsorship. I would

“We had some great ideas for promotions, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

Fortunately, the products were in demand anyway.” think it’s been more relevant for those who sell televisions.

Do you think the potential for additional camera sales offered by the London

Olympic Games will be harmed by the confusion over what constitutes a ‘professional camera’, which spectators aren’t allowed in some venues?

I don’t think that ruling makes sense at all.

The theory is that they’re not allowing people in with CSC style cameras, under the impression that anything with a removable lens is a ‘professional’ camera and will allow them to capture and share images that may detract from the ones with media accreditation… is that right? It doesn’t make sense as the factor that’s going to make sporting pictures better in this instance is zoom. Superzoom compacts and some of the bridge cameras have much higher zooms and are going to be the only consumer cameras which produce really good results from the spectator seats, and yet according to Locog or whoever has made these rules, they are allowed. It makes no sense, and it seems as if the rules have been made with little knowledge of photography. Hopefully it won’t put off anyone who has thought about buying a camera for the Games.

Forecasts for the eventual financial impact of the London 2012 Olympic Games vary massively, fluctuating between huge deficits caused by the Games going billions of pounds over budget and estimated lost productivity as Londoners are unable to (or advised not to) travel to work and others take time off to watch their favourite sport. London businesses such as theatres, cabbies and newsagents claim that business has dropped since the Games began, but official estimates say £10bn will be added to the British economy by the end of the summer.

Digital Distribution Tee Off Again Distributor holds its third annual golf day with prizes awarded by Samsung and Fujifilm.

The third annual Digital Distribution Golf Event took place at Heythrop Park Resort in Oxfordshire on Thursday 12th July.

Those taking part had to prove their abilities with the considerable handicap of varying weather conditions, with everyone teeing off in glorious sunshine but completing the course in the traditional British summer golfing conditions of driving rain.

“Spirits were not dampened, however,” quipped Digital Distribution’s Ron Deprez, “with the bar finishing a lot dryer than the climate!”

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The winner for the second year in succession was Stuart Smith from Fleet Photographic, who also shared the team event with Simon Pilsworth of Harpers, Sudhir Patel of ASK and Matt Paine from Digital Distribution.

The longest drive of the day was collected by Ian Revel of KDS. We’re told that this also turned out to be his final drive of the day as he then locked his keys in his car!

Stuart Bench, who was also representing Digital Distribution, made one good shot in the contest to collect the Nearest the Pin award but unfortunately then went on to pick up the day’s ‘Wooden Spoon’.

“We tried this event three years ago and were unsure of the response it would receive at the time. However, it was a great success and it is now set in our calendar for the week before The Open every year,” said Ron Deprez.

“I would like to thank everyone who attended this very enjoyable day out and who kept their chins up and gave it their best despite the rain.

As you can see from the pictures, it was a great day. I’d also like to thank Samsung and Fuji for providing gifts for all those present”.

The winning team: Stuart Smith, Simon Pilsworth, Sudhir Patel and Matt Paine

“Heythrop Park is an impressive venue and has now established itself as the home for our event, as part of a tradition which I hope we will continue for years to come.

“I look forward to seeing everyone return for our event next year. Perhaps we will have some new competitors, and maybe one will finally take the title from Stuart Smith and his team!” www.ddltd.co.uk Copyright Life Media Group LTD 2012 ©

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DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION  BRINGING MARGIN BACK TO PHOTO RETAIL

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THE BUSINESS

Will CSC Replace DSLR? GfK’s results show that the latest rise in CSC sales corresponds with a decline in DSLR sales, once again raising important questions as to whether there is really room for both to grow in today’s imaging market?

For the first half of 2012, the changeable lens camera segment was down by 9% in volume on last year. Over the same period last year, things were looking rosier, with the segment up by 21% volume and 7% in value.

Towards the end of 2011, things were still looking good with an 11% uplift in the sales volume of changeable lens cameras on the previous year. What, then, has changed?

The answer certainly doesn’t lie with the compact system camera (CSC), where the outlook has never been better. In fact, growth for the CSC is accelerating. The first half of the year sees 17% more CSCs sold compared to last year, which rises to 33% during Q2 and 51% in June 2012. Put into the context of last year, these look even better as similarly high year-onyear growth rates were seen.

It is then left for the single lens reflex camera (SLR) to take the blame of the slowing in changeable lens camera sales. In the first half of the year, SLR sales dropped by -16% in volume.

By weighting this -16% its volume share (81%) in the previous year we can see that the SLR’s total impact on the market has been to drag it down by -13%. The CSC on the other hand grew the market by 3%, due to its relatively lower share, which leads us to the total aforementioned -9% decline in changeable lens cameras (excluding rounding).

What is also interesting to see, is that since September, except during the Christmas period of December and January, SLRs and CSCs have had opposite fortunes; whenever CSCs have seen growth, SLRs have experienced decline and vice versa. When the CSC was first introduced to the market, a major question being asked was whether the CSC would replace the SLR. Although this fact neither confirms nor denies the possibility, coupled with the fact that for the first time over a 6 month period we saw 1 in every 4 changeable lens cameras sold being a CSC, this question once again seems an important one.

Aaron Harris, Account Executive, Photo, Aaron.Harris@gfk.com 0870 603 8231, www.gfkrt.com/uk

Top of the Pop-Ups

New rulings and a retail festival to inject life into pop-up retail sector.

The pop-up movement, also known as flash retailing, is the practice of shops, restaurants, bars and galleries opening in empty and unusual premises. Most commonly seen before Christmas in the form of what some of the retail trade refer to as “turkey shops” (because they all disappear after December 25th!), these seasonal and spontaneous retail operations are fostering a new way of buying and selling in today’s recession-hit climate.

Most recently, pop-up shopping has received a major boost after the government announced plans to cut red tape and make it easier for entrepreneurs to start businesses in this way.

The plans were announced as part of a drive to revitalise the UK’s high streets following a report by retail guru Mary Portas. Anyone starting a pop-up business will now have up to two years to apply for planning permission instead of having to do so immediately. This could open up a huge amount of leeway for seasonal or transitional pop-up stores who may not intend to be in the same place in two years’ time.

“This is fantastic news for pop-ups who are

really about to come into their own,” commented Nicholas Russell of We Are Pop Up, an organisation connecting consumers seeking new experiences with entrepreneurs that provide them.

“With more than 11% of shops currently standing empty, pop-ups are a great way to inject life back into our town centres and high streets. Starting a business in this way breaks down barriers to entry for entrepreneurs and those in creative industries whilst offering consumers a unique experience”.

Throughout August, We Are Pop Up is running The Pop Spot Festival: Summer 2012, a new event giving everyone a chance to experience what shops, supperclubs, food stalls, galleries, secret cinemas and other pop-ups have to offer, and giving retailers a chance to try out new ideas and locations as well as offering valuable opportunities to entrepreneurs. The Pop Spot Festival has also launched a new mobile app that allows people to search pop-up shops and events by date, time and location.

Full events listings and a link to download the app will be available on www.thepopspot.com

News JP Distribution Announces Sekonic Cashback JP Distribution has announced a new cash back offer from award winning manufacturer Sekonic.

Throughout the month of August, Sekonic will be offering cash back on purchases of the L-308s and L-358 lightmeters. Those buying these models can redeem £20 cash back on purchases of the FlashMate L-308s and £30 cash back on purchases of the FlashMaster L-358.

This offer is only applicable to customers who have purchased their meter from a UK authorised dealer. Consumers who are interested in saving money with this offer can obtain a list of authorised dealers on the JP Distribution website. www.johnsons-photopia.co.uk

One Vision Lands Olympic Contract Having been chosen to provide services for Innovative Sports Ltd, the “Official Sporting Memorabilia” licensee for the London 2012 Games and Team GB, One Vision Imaging have been charged with the task of preparing hundreds of framed photographic concepts for distribution into official London 2012 retailers. Many of the images have been personally signed by past Team GB legends such as Lord Sebastian Coe, Daley Thompson, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Chris Hoy. The next phase of the project appears to be significantly more challenging as they are now on standby to finish products commemorating select Team GB gold medal winners - a list which is growing by the day. Victorious images will be dropped into pre-designed templates, printed and framed overnight for delivery to official sales outlets the very next day.

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THE NEW WORLD OF IMAGING

Apple: Not Untouchable

The Rumour

The British Army News Team chooses Panasonic Camcorders for broadcasting from the field.

The Rumour is a round up of gossip and hints currently circulating the internet. The views here are not necessarily those of Pixel Magazine and have not been communicated through official channels, they are simply things we have heard from those who may know!

Based in the British Army HQ, the British Army News Team gathers broadcast material for news stations. The team’s core activity is to support operations, where it provides material that would not normally be available to the public media. They also supply a number of sources such as the national network, regional televisions and the Army webpage, Facebook and Twitter.

With the need for delivering more efficiency growing, a tapeless workflow was required. On many occasions power is unavailable, therefore the entire workflow is based around working exclusively on battery power, from acquisition through post production to transmission.

Rumour has it that... upcoming Apple products could feature auto-focus and exposure metering abilities. According to the patent, Apple has developed a system for “Dynamic exposure metering based on face detection” with a method of automatically changing a digital camera’s exposure settings based on a subject’s face, along with another development for “Auto focus speed enhancement using object recognition and resolution” uses similar object-detection software to hasten focus speed. Both patents rely on face or object-recognition.

Via Appleinsider Rumour has it that... Canon may be about to enter the arena of huge megapixel counts. Recent murmurings around the internet indicate that a new camera may boast upwards of 35 megapixels, and that the new model may be medum format or a full frame camera with the imaging quality of a medium format camera. It’s thought that whatever form this release takes, it will be compatible with Canon’s range of EF lenses.

Via PetaPixel

Panasonic supplied the film crew with robust cameras with long battery life, giving them the opportunity to shoot for hours without using power supply.

Extensive testing was carried out in order to choose a brand, but since adopting Panasonic P2 as its chosen format, the team says it has not looked back.

Size and weight is a critical factor when working and filming in hostile environments.

“Often we may get one seat on a helicopter (or the back of an armoured personnel carrier) and this will govern what can be carried and how we work,” says Kevin Capon.

“With these I can shoot, take my card out of the camera, place it into my laptop and edit with no need to ingest - simply put the material directly onto the timeline, edit and transmit.”

The crew normally carries two P2 cameras: the AG-HPX3100 and AG-HPX250. With its lightweight design and low power consumption, the HPX3100 provides incredible high-end performance for its compact body, where the handheld HPX250 proves that mobility and stunning pictures can work together. www.panasonic.com

Be There: Autumn Fair 2012 Don’t miss the largest home and gift trade buying event of the season.

Rumour has it that... Nikon is about to release an Android-based compact camera. According to reports coming from Indonesia, the camera will be called the Coolpix S800 and will not only feature built-in WiFi and GPS but will run all Google Play apps and will be announced either at or in time for photokina 2012. it is unclear at the moment whether this is18/11/11 a one-off or16:44:24 Fuji Quarter Page Advert.pdf the future of Nikon’s compacts.

Via Nikonrumors

With 1,500 exhibitors and over 60,000 new products to be announced, Autumn Fair is the place to source innovative products in time for the Christmas retail season.

The categories at the show include gifts, homewares, interiors and furniture, kitchen and dining, hobbies, art and crafts, stationery, toys, gadgets, fashion and accessories, bath and frangrance amongst many others. 900 of the exhibitors are exclusive to the show, guaranteeing visitors new ideas and a chance to look at retail from a fresh perspective.

With keynote speakers from Liberty London, Robert Dyas, Oliver Bonas and many many more, a visit to Autumn Fair will provide a refreshing burst of retail inspiration and advice.

Taking place from 2nd to 5th September at the NEC, Birmigham, Autumn Fair will also host a series of free seminars and has a dedicated area for new products provides a snapshot of the latest and most exclusive product ranges at the show.

The broadening spread of imaging retail brings allsorts of imaging related product under Autumn Fair’s banner, and familiar brands such as Kenro will be exhibiting. www.autumnfair.com

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Your Essential Guide to the Latest Launches

Name: Manfrotto 290 Carbon RRP: TBC Release Date: Immediate

Name: BlackRapid Lens Bling RRP: £8.50 Release Date: Immediate LensBling are a series of rear lens caps that allow photographers to quickly and easily differentiate between lenses they own.

The cap’s bright, bold and raised labelling allows easier visibility. The numbers on the lenses represent the focal length of the camera lens, thus p increasing speed, efficiency, and the promise of capturing every shot.

LensBling is made to fit either Nikon or Canon lenses of numerous sizes: Nikon: LensBling 24mm, 50mm, 70-200mm, 85mm and 105mm Canon: LensBling 24mm, 24-70mm, 50mm, 85mm and 70-200mm www.blackrapid.com

Manfrotto, has just announced the launch of the Manfrotto 290 Carbon - a new family of carbon fibre camera supports designed to accompany passionate new photographers as they progress and improve their skills.

The Manfrotto 290 Carbon series is designed to be easily transported and carried: 290s are small when folded, but lightweight and very stable when open. The Manfrotto 290 Carbon range includes a “legs-only” tripod, a monopod and a small selection of ready-to-use complete tripod + head kits, divided into two sizes: the 294 models have larger diameter leg tubes and 3-section tripod legs for extra rigidity and vibration-resistance, while the more compact 293 model has narrower tubes and 4-section legs so it folds to an even more compact size. www.manfrotto.com

Name: Elinchrom Quadra Lithium Ion Battery RRP: £300 Including Charger Release Date: Immediate First shown at Focus on Imaging 2012, the new lithium-ion battery for the award winning Elinchrom Ranger Quadra is 60% lighter and 28% smaller than the existing lead gel battery, reducing the total weight of the Ranger Quadra to just 2 kg! As if that wasn’t enough, it’s said that the difference in performance is amazing.

This new smaller lithium ion battery will power more than double the number of flashes achieved by the existing lead gel battery and recharges from flat 25% faster. www.elinchrom.com

You can rely on Kenro to deliver. at: 12 us 20 See Fair am n h g m n 5 i u t Au Birm nd J4 C a t t E p S N ll 5 Se Ha d-5th n 2

Kenro supply a wide range of photo frames, mounts and albums, from budget priced lines through to high end luxury products and because we hold massive stocks you can rely on us for fast delivery across the UK and Ireland.

Visit www.kenro.co.uk to view the full range and find out more.

Supplying the photographic industry for over 35 years making the most of your image

Kenro Ltd, Greenbridge Road, Swindon, SN3 3LH t: 01793 615836 f: 01793 530108 e: sales@kenro.co.uk

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THE LAUNCHPAD LAUNCH PAD

Name:Fujifilm F800 EXR RRP: Release Date: September Loaded with a raft of features to make shooting and sharing easy, the FinePix F800EXR is ideal for those looking to make the jump from a basic point-andshoot compact to a more featured packed, advanced camera. What’s more the FinePix F800EXR also features 6 artistic effects that change the filter on the camera so users can get creative with their photography.

By downloading the free Fujifilm Photo Receiver app to their smartphone or tablet, users can take advantage of the FinePix F800EXR’s Wireless Image Transfer tool to instantly upload or back-up up to 30 images in one go. In addition, the Fujifilm Photo Receiver app can tell the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR exact location via users’ smartphones or tablets. There’s also a 360º panorama mode, as well as Full HD video recording skills.

The Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR boasts with a Fujinon 20x optical zoom and a 40x digital zoom, to ensure photos snapped from a distance are crisp and clear. www.fujifilm.com

Name: Panasonic Lumix LX7 RRP: TBC Release Date: TBC Panasonic’s Lumix LX7, its newest and most advanced premium compact digital camera to date, features a Leica DC Vario-Summilux lens offering an F1.4 maximum aperture, high sensitivity for superb low-light photography and versatile shooting functions.

In combination with the 10.1-megapixel high-sensitivity MOS Senor and Venus Engine VII FHD, the lens provides stunning image quality even in low-light situations. With an aperture of up to F1.4 you can achieve beautiful shallow depth of field shots, extending the creative expression of your photography. The bright, high quality lens is also perfect for macro shots and dimly-lit scenes that require greater exposure . Meanwhile the 24mm ultra wide-angle lens with Nano Surface Coating gives a wider range of composition options, with minimised distortion.

These advances also provide vastly improved video recording performance, with 1920x1080 50p Full HD Video Recording in both AVCHD Progressive and MP4 outputs. With the Aperture Ring and Rear Dial, users can enjoy full control over the camera’s aperture range by managing the levels of light very precisely to create beautiful defocus effects. Additionally the LUMIX LX7’s Internal Neutral Density filter allows you to intuitively amend the shutter speed, enabling beautiful images of ski scenes or flowing water for example.

The LUMIX LX series is renowned for continually raising the bar for what is possible in premium compact camera photography. With the LUMIX LX7, we believe we have created the ultimate creative compact camera for the enthusiast. The advanced and bright LEICA lens, alongside the other imaging advances, provides superb image quality whatever the situation. Meanwhile the extended level of control provided to the user when composing shots means it’s the perfect option for those looking to maximise creative expression in a compact camera. www.panasonic.com

Name: Bowens Mosaic Daylight RRP: £714 Release Date: Immediate Bowens has launched Mosaic Daylight - a new high specification, lightweight LED panel for both studio and location video lighting and photography.

The company, which is marketing the unit under its new Limelite videography subdivision, says the panel is capable of producing output three times brighter than more expensive lights of similar size.

The rugged 30x30cm panel provides 4200 Lux of high quality, brilliant 5600°K daylight.

This new panel features multiple power, control, mounting and usage options, together with the renowned Bowens build quality, in one of the most versatile, reliable and value for money LED panels on the market. It features 576 ultra-bright LEDs, dimmable from 1000% - providing output around three times as bright as more expensive, similar-sized lights.

The difference can be clearly seen in the amount of usable light projected over greater distances.

The Mosaic, with its mains power and industry standard V-lock battery operation available out of the box is ready to go when you are – anytime and anywhere. www.limelite.uk.com

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INSIDE TRACK New Software Tracks Down Emailed Photos New software claims to “find every image you’ve ever sent or received,” eliminating the worry of losing photographs which have been emailed.

“Our email accounts become treasure troves of moments and memories,” says software programmer Space Inch. “The photos we email with family and friends are often the most important to us, but get buried deep in years of random messages. Lost Photos finds them all, and makes it easy to share and archive them.”

After Lost Photos locates all the photos you have sent or received and stored in an online email account, the photos are downloaded to your computer, where you can browse and quickly share to Facebook, Twitter, and email, the company adds.

The Macintosh and Windows program searches online email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, and AOL. www.lostphotos app.com

Kodak Back in the Black Apple: Not Untouchable Kodak files a profit for the first time since entering Chapter 11.

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports Kodak’s U.S. operations showed a gross profit for June — for the first time since filing for bankruptcy protection in January.

For June, Kodak’s U.S. operations posted sales of $180.2 million and a net loss of $160 million. That net loss ends what had been two consecutive months of the company edging closer to bottom-line profitability.

But June also marked the first month since filing for bankruptcy where the company’s gross profit was in the black to the tune of $19.2 million. Gross profit does not count such business expenses as taxes, R&D, and selling and administrative costs, the Rochester Demoncrat & Chronicle reports.

According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Kodak is re-aligning its business again. “Judging from the company’s own statements and from interpretations of its moves by management experts, Kodak’s surprising realignment raises the prospect of more layoffs and asset sales.

In a memo that went out to employees this

week, the company said it was shifting around some top bosses as it aims to get out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy next year.

The printing and imaging company now has three separate operating groups: a consumer group a; a digital printing and enterprise group and a graphics, entertainment and commercial film group.

Since entering bankruptcy in January, the struggling company has filed notices with the state indicating roughly 500 local layoffs — almost 10 percent of its Rochester-area workforce. The reorganisation also may indicate that Kodak will sell off more businesses.

Since declaring bankruptcy, the company has unloaded Kodak Gallery, among other divestitures,” reported the newspaper.

In other news, the U.S. Justice Department trustee overseeing Kodak’s bankruptcy is objecting to company plans to continue the EXCEL bonus plan for upper management and to give co-President Laura Quatela a bonus tied to the company’s sale of digital imaging patents. www.democratandchronicle.com

The magazine that provides retail solutions for the print professional, distributed free with Pixel magazine.

Calling in the Experts

MPA teams up with The Print Foundry to bring professional print, mounting and framing services to the MPA’s associates and members.

The Master Photographers Association has announced a new Trade Partnership with the Print Foundry.

The new deal extends across a number of areas mutually beneficial to both organisations and includes a high profile presence on the website thempa.com and in MPA’s publications.

The Print Foundry offers a wide variety of print and including acrylic prints,16:44:24 Fujiframing Quarterproducts Page Advert.pdf 18/11/11 ‘floating’ prints, aluminium prints, wall murals and more.

Trade Partnerships are a recent initiative “The Print Foundry is delighted to have by the Association developed due to a need become an official trade partner with the MPA,” in the photo industry for companies to work says Renato Tavares, director of the Print more closely with their suppliers to add greater Foundry. “Our passion for print perfection and benefits all round.

dedication to image professionals are in line with the high standards set by the MPA. Our mission, to continue developing products for expert photography, will only be successful by working closely with the MPA and supporting its members; it is partnerships such as these that will ensure we remain at the top of our field.”

Chief Executive of the MPA, Colin Buck added: “We are very pleased that the Print Foundry has come on board and have seen the great potential to work more closely with our members. As an organisation dealing the professionals it is important that we work with suppliers at the top of their field.” www.theprintfoundry.co.uk www.thempa.com

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